Panel Report: Fireside Chat With Ted Cohen and Peter Kafka

The past, present, and future of digital music

The Big Question: Ted Cohen shared the knowledge he’s gleaned from decades of experience pioneering the intersection of digital technology and music. He spoke about where the industry is headed, what he would change and how cutting-edge technologies are transforming consumer practices.

The Big Answer(s): “The biggest risk in digital is not taking a risk. We really need to experiment. It’s not about big advances, it’s about trying a bunch of things, and it’s about not being afraid of evolution and really embracing it.” – Ted Cohen
“We’re trapped in this attention economy right now. The end game used to be getting your music into a store—that’s the beginning of the process now.” – Ted Cohen

Best Metaphor To Describe How People Will Start To Pay For Digital Music: “The free cheese era is going to end.” – Peter Falk

The Bottom Line: “Music has become more important to everybody, more a part of our lives. The most important thing in the future is going to be recommendation tools and personalization tools. At the end of this turmoil, I think people are going to pay to be entertained.” – Ted Cohen